Grizzlies Beat Joliet, Win Fourth Straight

SAUGET, Ill. — Jeff Cardenas launched a solo home run in the fourth inning to put the Gateway Grizzlies on the board before Trae Santos‘ RBI double and Justin Ellison‘s two-run double in the fifth inning gave the Grizzlies all the offense they needed in a 4-3 win Friday night over the Joliet Slammers at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

All four of the Grizzlies’ runs scored with two outs.

Gateway (32-40) won its fourth straight to pull within 5.5 games of first place in the West Division.

Santos extended his hitting streak to nine games. Brent Sakurai hit in his sixth straight game with two singles.

Mason Klotz (4-3) earned the win in his Grizzlies debut. He allowed three runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings and struck out nine. Klotz, the reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Week for his start July 25 as a member of the Lake Erie Crushers, made it through seven innings without allowing a run before he walked two and gave up a single in the eighth. Three runs scored against the Grizzlies’ bullpen, all of which were charged to Klotz.

Gateway traded for Klotz from Lake Erie last week in exchange for a player to be named later.

Grant Black earned his third save of the season. He recorded the game’s final four outs — all via strikeout.

Cody Livesay had the Grizzlies’ only other multi-hit game. Seven Gateway batters had at least one hit.

Gateway will go for a season-long five-game winning streak Saturday against Joliet at 7:05 p.m.

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Nate Gatter is a freshman at the University of Missouri majoring in broadcast journalism with the ultimate goal of becoming a professional play-by-play broadcaster, and he's thrilled to be joining the Arch City Sports team. Nate graduated from Clayton High School in 2014, where he played baseball. He works for Mizzou's student radio station (KCOU). During the summers, Nate serves as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Follow him on Twitter: @NateGatter